Question 787:

Asked on July 30, 2009

Tags: correlation coefficient , significant correlation , Pearson r

Below are fertility rates (average children born per woman) in 15 EU nations for 2 years. (a) Make
a scatter plot. (b) Find the correlation coefficient and interpret it. (c) Test the correlation coefficient
for significance, clearly stating the degrees of freedom. (Data are from the World Health
Organization.)

Fertility Rates for 15 EU Nations
Nation 1990 2000
Austria 1.5 1.3
Belgium 1.6 1.5
Denmark 1.6 1.7
Finland 1.7 1.6
France 1.8 1.8
Germany 1.4 1.3
Greece 1.5 1.3
Ireland 2.1 2.0
Italy 1.3 1.2
Luxembourg 1.6 1.7
Netherlands 1.6 1.5
Portugal 1.6 1.5
Spain 1.4 1.1
Sweden 2.0 1.4
U.K. 1.8 1.7